Florida football is coming off two-straight seasons in which it finished with a 6-7 record, making it the first time since the end of the 1970s that the program posted a pair of consecutive losing seasons. However, those two sub-par campaigns came under two different head coaches, with recent hire [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] working tirelessly to push that trend back upward.
That incline is a steep one for the former Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun, who is not exactly sitting on a raging-hot fire in his sophomore season on the Swamp’s sidelines but is certainly feeling pressure from the fanbase. CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson recently published his article surveying second-year college football coaches who are facing defining campaigns, with the Gators’ skipper coming in under the “needs to show improvement” tier.
A lot of weight for Napier’s popularity among Florida fans falls the 2024 recruiting class, which is off to a fantastic start — currently ranking No. 3 in the country. But after a 6-7 debut and the Jaden Rashada saga in last year’s recruiting cycle, the Gators need to deliver some positivity on the field to keep those recruits on board through National Signing Day. No one is asking Florida to contend for the playoff, especially with one of the country’s toughest schedules, but staying competitive against the good teams and avoiding bad losses are necessary to quiet early-tenure frustrations.
While a lot of the prognosticators are bearish on the 2023 edition of the Orange and Blue — especially given that Napier’s crew faces arguably the toughest SEC schedule this fall — the coming season will be the first without the burden of the previous regime’s fingerprint. That will give them a chance to re-establish their identity after taking punches to the gut the past three years.
While it will take another season or so for his strong recruiting class to bear fruit, there is still a good chance that his philosophy starts to finally blossom and begin the return to glory for the Florida Gators.
The Gators open up their 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes on Aug. 31, with a kickoff time of 8 p.m. EDT set.
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